WILMINGTON, N.C. — After a particularly rough night just 25 hours prior, Northeastern pulled out a thrilling 7-3 victory over the UNCW Seahawks to remain in CAA championship contention.
Playing from the Seahawks’ home field in Wilmington, but standing as the home team with a higher tournament seed, the Huskies grabbed their first postseason win of the year, advancing them to another day in the CAA tournament.
Northeastern took the lead early in the bottom of the second after loading the bases. A ground ball put into play by sophomore catcher Will Fosberg scored the first run, and a costly balk from UNCW right-handed junior starter Connor Marshburn plated senior outfielder Carmelo Mussachia to give Northeastern their 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the Huskies’ starter, senior righty Luc Rising, was able to escape two tricky situations with a runner on third base in both the top of the second and third innings. He was able to effectively pitch for a zero on the scoreboard until the top of the fourth, when a double off the bat of two-way sophomore Brady Thompson would score UNCW’s first run from first base.
Rising would toss another scoreless frame in the fifth, collecting his tenth of eleven total strikeouts on his impressive night. Northeastern maintained their command until a momentum shift in the sixth. Following a Seahawks single and sac-bunt to advance the runner to second base, a big swing from junior outfielder Jake Bechtel sent a ball over the left field wall. The long ball plated two runs and gave the Seahawks their first lead in the latter half of the win-or-go-home game.
Northeastern needed a response, and they needed one quick.And who better to do so than the program record-holder for most home runs wearing a Northeastern jersey, Harrison Feinberg?
With one out in the eighth inning, Feinberg mashed his 16th bomb of the year to left center field, tying the game at 3 apiece with his 398-foot blast.
“He is one of the best players that has ever worn our uniform, and that is a fact,” said head coach Mike Glavine. “Tonight, he carried us on his back, and he stepped up in a big moment. Just unbelievable, he’s a stud.”
But the Huskies’ offense wasn’t done. A Matt Brinker specialty double down the right field line and two walks to follow loaded the bases for Musacchia. His crisp swing sent a line drive single to left center, grabbing Mussachia two RBIs on the base hit and a 5-3 Huskies lead late in the ballgame.
“We were feeling pressure. [Feinberg’s homerun] just took all the pressure off us,” Glavine said. “Everyone exhaled and was like, ‘We can do this.’ And that’s why you need your dudes, and your studs, and your best players to do what they do. Then we did what we normally do.”
The momentum stayed in favor of the Huskies when UNCW received a dugout warning from the crew chief, immediately followed by an ejection of Seahawks head coach Randy Hood.
The Seahawks went with a new arm to limit damage; however, the new reliever, right-handed rookie TJ Ziermann, would walk and plunk his first two batters faced to again load the bases. A wild pitch would plate another two, Mussachia coming home from third and Fosberg scoring all the way from second.
After sophomore righty Andrew Rogovic pitched two scoreless innings for the Huskies, graduate student right-hander Andrew Wertz came in with the 7-4 Huskies lead and slammed the door shut in the ninth, eliminating the Seahawks at their own ballpark.
The Huskies will be moving to the loser’s bracket final game where they will look to punch their ticket to CAA championship Games 10 and 11. Thanks to their excellent performance tonight, the Huskies live to see another day.
The Huskies will look to continue even farther in the CAA tournament on Saturday, May 23, at 3 p.m., when they will face the loser of the 11 a.m. game between No. 1 Campbell or rematch seed No. 5 Hofstra.
Michael Kaminsky is a rising junior at Northeastern, approaching his second year with WRBB. He values being a part of the broadcast team greatly and is always thrilled to cover games, especially his favorite sport, baseball. You can read more of his coverage with WRBB here.